Editor’s Note: On May 8th, Montreal’s teenage punk trio General Chaos released their sophomore album Can’t Please ‘Em All via Stomp Records. Formed in 2022 when its members were just twelve years old, the group has thrived in Montreal’s punk scene thanks to their tight-knit chemistry, hard-charging sound, and relatable lyrics. It’s a formula that’s helped them go from early Pouzza Fest sets to all-ages rooms across Québec and Ontario and now onto the SWT site.
In 2024, the band released its debut Outta My Way, which they recorded with the help of Ryan Battistuzzi. They’ve kept the momentum rolling with the new release, which was recorded in three days at Le Stuzzio with Battistuzzi and produced by Fred Jacques of The Sainte Catherines. According to a press release, the record “captures a band that knows restraint as well as release, with Aude Deniger’s bass pushed forward, Rémi Jacques’ drumming locked and deliberate, and Constantin Blondy’s guitar work kept tight and efficient.”
“Part of a Montreal lineage that runs through The Nils, The Asexuals, Planet Smashers, Banlieue Rouge, and The Sainte Catherines, General Chaos aren’t reviving anything. They’re continuing it. First recognized in La Presse as a generation ‘running punk on Kool-Aid,’ the band quickly turned curiosity into conviction.”
Below, you can watch the music video for the superb single “The Idiots Have Taken Over”:
The press release describes the song perfectly: “The second advance single from their upcoming LP Can’t Please ’Em All leans into a more controlled, mid-tempo swing, trading speed for weight without losing impact. Built on a steady, driving groove, sharp downstrokes, and layered vocal harmonies, the track lands between Rancid’s punch, the snarl of Radio Dead Ones, and the hook-heavy grit of Social Distortion. Where “Busted” cracked the door open, this one plants its feet. “The Idiots Have Taken Over” is direct, confrontational, and rooted in frustration with political dysfunction and unchecked power. Lines like ‘There’s a problem and no one there to fix it / Shut your fucking mouth because I’m having none of it’ don’t aim for metaphor. They land as blunt statements, carried by a chorus that repeats like a warning more than a hook. The band leans into contrast here, pairing biting lyrics with tight, melodic structure and harmonies that keep it grounded.”
You can also watch the video for the equally great single “Busted”:
The press release describes it in equally great fashion: “Fast, hook-heavy, and built on tight downstrokes and a chant-ready chorus, “Busted” lands somewhere between Rancid’s street-level punch, Descendents’ urgency, early Green Day’s snap, and the political edge of Propagandhi. It is two-to-three-minute burner territory with bass pushed forward, drums locked in, and guitars kept lean and direct. Lyrically, the track captures the tension between independence and consequence. ‘Don’t wanna get caught but I got busted / Speak the words on my mind not gonna get silenced.’ It is about saying what you mean, taking the hit, and moving anyway. No polish. No irony layer. Just clarity and pace.”
Below, Blondy penned an exclusive Artist Essay for SWT describing a humorous tour story.
Here’s a funny tour story. We got booked on a mini tour opening for the Planet Smashers around Quebec in early April 2026. Aude and I were both in Europe right before the tour started on Thursday, 9th. Constantin in Berlin and Aude in Greece, so as you could imagine, both were very jetlagged. The first night in l’Assomption was fine. It was a great night, actually, the show was sold out!
The day after, we had to wake up very early and do about 5 hours of driving to get to Alma in Saguenay, which already got us exhausted by the time we arrived at the venue for load-in. We were playing in a café-bar, so the other side of the room was a fancy-looking restaurant. There was a supper for the bands, which was very cool. There was a “Burger Montréalais” which translates to “Montreal Burger” so I thought I’d try it to see how they portrayed our hometown through a burger. It was pretty good. Solid 7.5 out of 10 on the burger scale. After a nice supper alongside the Planet Smashers, we headed back to our little Airbnb in the basement of a restaurant and relaxed for a bit before the doors opened.
Fast forward into the green room about half an hour before our set, Rémi and I were hanging out on the couches alongside members of the Planet Smashers and getting hydrated with canned water. I was extremely tired and nauseous from the jetlag. Somehow, scabs became the topic of conversation and Andy, who plays bass in the Smashers, was telling us about the time he hurt his knee real bad while skateboarding as a teen, and he was able to rip off the entire scab in one piece. He decided to, later that same day, go to 7-11 and allegedly placed the scab in the beef jerky tub at the register while the cashier was not looking and left. I’m not saying that helped the nausea, but Remi and I got a good laugh out of it.
The room was getting crowded, and our set time was approaching. Nausea wasn’t getting better, so I went downstairs to the bathroom and tried to puke a bit of my burger to try and feel better, because if I learned one thing from puking, it’s that you feel relieved after. Surprisingly, it kinda worked, and I kinda felt better to go upstairs and give it my best shot. Thankfully, my band was understanding that I wasn’t feeling so well, and we played every song quickly to try and get it over with as soon as possible while still doing our best.
The set was not as bad as we thought, according to Eric, our awesome driver and merch man, and Matt Collyer from the Planet Smashers. The crowd seemed to have enjoyed it too, and that’s what mattered. Right after the set, I picked up my stuff and went into the alleyway between the venue and a mechanic shop closed at this time of day, where I puked my guts out as I walked deeper, leaving a trail of vomit puddles behind me. Two punks, one named Anakin (like in Star Wars), wearing an Operation Ivy t-shirt, and the other one whose name I can’t remember came down to check on me. They were very nice, and we started chatting a bit as best I could, considering I was still in puking mode. Rémi also came down and brought me a water bottle I drank ferociously while he maintained the conversation with the guys.
You can connect with and listen to General Chaos in the author box links below
Constantin Blondy
Contributor
Constantin Blondy is the lead guitarist of Montreal punk trio General Chaos. Since 2022, when they were only 12 years old, the band has been playing shows all over Ontario and Quebec in Canada and releasing music independently.
